Dockage tester and process for operating the same



June 23, 1925.

J. A PERKINS DOCKAGE TESTER AND PROCESS FOR OPERATING THE SAME Filed may 28. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet l [N VENTOR Joh /v /7. PEEK/N6 June 23, 1925. L5 3Q J. A. PERKINS DOCKAGE TESTER AND PROCESS FOR OPERATING 1'!!! SA I/v wslvrol? Jan/v A. PERKINS Arm/avers June 23, 1925.

J. A. PERKINS DOCKAGE TESTER AND PROCESS FOR OPERATING THE SAME A t e e h S s t e e h S 4 4 2 95 1 .5 8 2 Y J m w r I o 0 0 0 H- a w 00 o M 0 M M n M o o o o 0 Ah 1 0 O 0 O 0 via 0 O 0 0 .1 a F 2. wmo l owe M m 9 MM ..../8 kw T 6 o 6 an o 3 3 o 0 a W 0O 0 U 0 I 00 o N w we www oww H W 0 u ow c w H M O 0 0WD 7 0 0 0 0 n 0 0 0 0 O D 0 0 1 MM OM0 oww Mun oMMw "H 7 O 0 0 nu 0 0 o o 0 0 M 050 0 0 u 0 no 0 0 b .I an o o o o u o 2 6.. owow w owo MM 2 M 0% mm" 3 m l 1!!! o I [IIIMWO Y lllllllll Ila. 0 0 0 0 Ill I 6 "M U 6 6 W 6 m u"...Imu un...-n-uii nimuni-ii I/v VENTOF? JOHN gnaw/vs mw Arron/vars Patented June 23, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN A. PERKINS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DOCKAGE TESTER AND PROCESS FOR OPERATING- THE- SAME.

Application filed May 28,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jenn A. PERKINS, a citizen of the .United States, resident of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, andState of Minnesota, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Dockage Testers and Processes for Operating the Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in dockage testers particularly adapted for use in testing samples of grain or other small materials, which are taken from shipments received at grain elevators or warehouses, the purpose of testing such samples being to ascertain the 'rado and therefore qualitv of thegrain contained in each wagonload, carload or shipment.

The method most commonly employed at the present time for testing samples of grain to determine the proper grading and therefore value of a shipmentofgrain, is to spread the sample of grain or other material upon a table or flat surface and then manually separate or hand pick the grain, such as wheat, from theweed seeds an d other foreign materials, commonly known as dockage. The wheat and dockage are then'independently weighedin order to determine the percentage of dockage contained in the shipment, after which the shipment may be properly graded. This method, naturally, is a very slow and tedious process. There have, however, been a number of machines designed for this purpose, but they have proven unsatisfactory and impractical owing principally, to their inability to thoroughly separate the weed seeds from the wheat and rye or the wheat or rye from the coarse dockage. Y

The novel dockage tester featured in this invention comprises an inclined separating belt having suitable indentations arranged in thesurface thereof. These indentations are of such size and shape as to completely and thoroughly separate the dockage from the grain, means being provided for holding the material in contact with the belt surface until all of the finer material has been separated from the coarser material.

The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an improved'dockage tester.

A further and more specific object is to provide such a machine of small, compact size and of very simple and inexpensive construction, and being so constructed that it 1324 Serial no. 715,420.

may readily and conveniently be moved 7 tion and the accompanying drawings and,

will be pointed out in the annexed cla ms.

In the drawings there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to he understood that the invention is not cmfined to the exactfeatures shown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved dockage tester;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same showing. the inclined belt mounted therein, and the means for holding the material in contact therewith;

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2 with the cover shown in open position;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view on the line 4-4: of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Fi ure 6-is an enlarged detail view showing the preferred type of seal used between the hopper and the top surface of the belt; and

Figure 7 is a plan view of a machine showing a modified construction.

The novel dockage tester shown 'in the accompanying drawings comprises .a casing having side walls 11 and 12,- rear wall 13, front wall 14, and a bottom 15. This casing is preferably supported by means of upright legs 16 having a platform 17 mounted thereon beneath the casing.

An indented separating belt 18 is mounted at an incline within the casing upon suitable rollers or wheels 19 and 20 carried by shafts 21 and 22, respectively, which are vrotatably mounted in suitable bearings provided in the end walls of the casing. This separating belt is similar in detail to the one described in my prior pending application, Serial #678,312, filed December 3, 1923. The bearings for the lower shaft21 are preferably pivotally and yieldingly mounted in the casing in order to take up belt 18.

The means provided for operating the belt 18 preferably consists of a motor 23'suitab1y slack in the secured to the bottom wall 15 of the casing. A worm wheel 24 is mounted on. the motor shaft adapted to engage a worm gear mounted on a shaft 26 which is carried by a bracket 27 also mounted beneath the casing. A sprocket pinion 28 is terminally mounted on the shaft 26 and has a chain 29 connecting it with a sprocket wheel 31 terminally mounted upon the upper belt-shaft 22, means of which power may be transmitted from the motor to the belt.

An important feature of this invention resides in th novel means provided for holding the material in contact with the surface of the belt until all of the liner material has been separated from the coarser material. Such means consists in the provision of hoppers or other devices for the purpose arranged over the upper inclined surface of the belt as particularly shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. There may be one, two or more of these hoppers as may be desired. The larger hopper, shown at the left of Figure 3, comprises a front wall 32 and the end walls 33 and 34. The smaller hopper has an inclined front wall 35 and an end wall 36. A partition or intermediate wall 37 divides the two hoppers from each other. As shown in Figure 3, the indentations in the belts surface are preferably of different sizes, the smaller indentations 38 being provided at the right hand side of the belt in alignment with the small hopper and the larger indentations 39 being provided in the remaining portion of the bclts surface in alignment with the large hopper. The lower edges of the hopper walls 33, 34, 35, and 36 are preferably provided with suitable seals of flexible material such as strips of felt 41, which are adapted to contact with the surface of th belt and are yieldingly held thereagainst by means of suitable springs'42 as shown in Figure 6.

The means provided for temporarily holding the material in contact with the surface of the belt consists of a gate 43 pivotally mounted in 'the lower portion of the intermediate wall or partition 37 and having a crank 44 connected therewith by means of which it may be opened and closed. Thus, when a sample or quantity of grain is introduced in the smaller hopper and the gate 43 is closed, the material will be held in contact with the'belts surface over the smaller indentations 38, and as the belt continues to travel the material will be kept in constant motion and the smaller or finer material will'be carried to the rear of the machine by means of the indentations 3 As soon as all f the finer material has thus been separated from the coarser material the gate 43 will be opened by means of th crank 44 as shown in Figure 3, and as a result of the inclined arrangement of the front wall 35 of the smaller hopper, the grain or material tle remaining in the hopper will be discharged into the adjacent larger hopper. .The material will then be left in the larger hopper until all of the coarser material, such as the wheat, has been separated from the relatively coarser material, such as wild oats, sticks, and other foreign material which is too large to be carried off by the indentations 39. thus been separated from the remaining coarser material, the lower gate 45 provided in the lower portion of the front wall 32 of the larger hopper will be opene l, thereby causing the remaining coarser material to be discharged into a spout 46 and into a suitable receiving receptacle 47, such as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2. This receptacle is preferably placed upon the platform 17. The gate 45 preferably has a brush 40 yieldingly mounted therein adaptedto engage the surface of the belt to prevent the material from dropping out of the hopper. Suitable receiving spouts 4S and 49 are also arranged at the rear of the machine to receive the liner material conveyed thereto by the smaller indentations 38 and also the larger material, such as the wheat, which is conveyed to the rear of the machine by the relatively larger indentations 39. Pans 50 may be placed upon the platform 17 to receive the material discharged from the spouts 48 and 49. A partition 51 is preferably arranged between the hoppers 48 and 49 in alignment with the intermediate wall 37 and functions to prevent the finer material from being discharged into the hopper 48, and in like manner the coarser material from being discharged into the hopper 49. The hoppers are preferably supported'b-y means of a rod 52 having its ends suitably secured to the end walls 11 and 12. v

Means, are also provided to prevent the coarser material such as wild oats and small sticks from being carried to the rear of the machine should they accidentally be carried up by the indentations in the belts surface. Such means preferably consists of a rotary brush 54 mounted upon a shaft 55 adjacent the upper inclined surface of the belt and adapted to sweep over the surface of the belt as is clearlyshown in Figure 2. This brush is preferably driven from the shaft 22 by means of a chain and sprocket drive 56, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. A cover 57 is hinged to the upper portion of the rear wall 13 and is adapted to enclose the upper portion of the machine to prevent the mate rial from being thrown out of the machine, and incidentally to present a neater and more finished appearance to the machine.

' In Figure 7, there is shown a modified construction wherein a plurality of hoppers are shown mounted over the inclined separating belt. These hoppers are preferably As soon as all of the wheat has independent of one another; that is there are 'seeds, cockle, wild peas, etc. from the wheat and coarser material. The indentations 39 in the adjacent hopper 59 are relatively larger than the indentations 38 and are adapted to separate spring and winter wheat from the still coarser material. The indentations 61 of the next adjacent hopper 62 may be of a still largersize and adapted to separate such material as durum wheat and rye, thereby leaving only'the coarsest material such as the wild oats, sticks, and the like.- These hoppers 58, 59, and62 are provided with gates 63, 64, and 65 respectively, whereby the material remaining in the hoppers may be discharged therefrom into a series of receiving spouts 66, 67, and 68, provided adjacent the front wall 14 of the casing. ReZeiVing spouts 69, 71 and 72 are also provided adjacent the rear wall 13 of the casing adapted to receive the material conveyed to the rear of the machine by the indented separating belt.

lVhen using this type of machine, the material is preferably first introduced into the hopper 58 and left there until all of the finer material has been separated from the coarser and discharged into the receiving spout 69 by the indentations 38 of its respective belt portion. The remaining material may then be removed from the hopper 58 and discharged into the hopper 68 by manually opening the gate 63. If further separation is required, it may be introduced into the next hopper 59 Where the'wheat nay be separated from the still coarser material and so on to the next hopper until a thorough separation has been made of the different sizes of material. Also should the material contain only small weed seeds and Wheat, it may be necessary only to pass it through the hoppers 58, and 59 and, in'like manner, should the material be free from the finer material such as weed seeds, it may be necessary only to'pass it through the hoppers 59 and 62.

I claim as my invention:

1. A machine of the class described comprising a frame, a separator movable relatively thereto for separating the finer from the coarser material, means constituting the discharge for coarser material for holding .the body of material over a certain predetermined area of the separator until the separation is complete and controllable for releasing the coarser material afterthe separation is effected.

2. A machine of the class described comprising a frame, an inclined separator there'- in' upon which-the body of mixedfmaterial tobe separated isplaced, said separator having a surface adapted to pick: up the finer particles to separate thenr from the coarser, and'means for holdingthe' main body of the material over suchv surface irrespective of the percentage of finematerial therein until the particles capable of being separated by said surface have been removed. p

3. A dockage tester comprising a frame, a traveling separator for moving the material to be tested and separating the finer from the coarser material, means for returning the coarser material from its moved position, means constituting the'discharge for coarser material for holding the material over the separator while the separation is being performed and'until it is completed, but controllable for releasing the coarser material after the separation is effected;

4:. A dockage tester comprising a frame, a separator movable in a direction inclined to the horizontal and having a series of indentations in its surface to receive the finer material, means for returning the coarser material prematurely picked up by said indentations from its elevated position, means for holding the coarser particles of material over the separator until the separation is complete, but controllable for discharging the coarser material after the separation is effected.

5. A dockage tester comprising a frame, a separator belt movable at an incline to the horizontal and having groups of indentations in its surface, the indentations of one group being the same size but the indentations of the respective groups varying in size the one to the other, a hopper arranged over each group of indentations and having means for holding the material over the respective groups until the separation is complete over each group, but controllable for. allowing the coarser material after theseparation is effected to flow from one hopper 7. A dockage tester-comprising a frame, an inclined separator therein, a plurality of hoppers side by side and above said separator, groups of indentations or pockets in separator, one group for each hopper, the indentations of one group being the samesize 'bnt-the indentations of the respective groups varying in size, each group of indentations extending below a hopper, means for holding the larger particles of the material in the respective hoppers until the separation is complete, but controllable for releasing the material after the separation is effective, for transfer of the material from one hopper to another. 7 8. VA machine of the class described comprising a frame, an inclined separator therein upon the lower portion of which the body of mixed material to be separated is placed, said separator having a surface adapted to pick up the finer particles to separate them from the coarser, and means ior holding the main body of the material over such so face irrespective of the percentage of fine material therein until the particles capable of separation by said surface have been remove with the separator and the smaller particles to be separated out, forcing back the larger particles of mate-rlal to their starting positions and. repeating this cycle of operations until the smaller particles are removed from the sample irrespective of the proportion of small to large sized particles originally contained in the samples and then after the smaller particles have been separated, remo-Ving the larger particles from their confined position. p

In witness whereof, I- have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of May 1924.

JOHN A. PERKINS. 

